Rockin' the Retirement Home
by MesAmours
Summary: Austin is less than thrilled to perform at Ally's aunt's retirement home. But, in the end more happens between himself and Ally than he planned for. Austin/Ally, Complete
1. Chapter 1

Austin Moon was never really good at waiting, and that's why it killed him to wait ten minutes for Trish to get to the mall's food court. Trish had called all three of them and asked them to go to the food court as soon as possible. Austin and Dez were already at the food court (chili dog Monday), but Ally was not coming.

Apparently visiting her great aunt in the nursing home was more important than Trish's plans. Austin was shocked, but Dez wasn't, "Pff, anything's more important than listening to Trish. I bet she wants to tell us she got a job at some new restaurant."

Austin shrugged, they were already at the food court so it didn't really matter what she had to say. He though about the Apples and Bananas song and thought it would work perfectly, "I like to wait, wait, apples and bananas". Okay, maybe he was wrong about that.

Luckily, the two boys didn't have much longer to wait since Trish came running at them with ninja speed. The last time that Austin saw Trish run so quickly was when Dez chased her with a living lobster. He thought that was funny, even though he'd never admit it to Trish or Ally.

Trish was so excited that she had to take a couple of deep breaths. But she was trying to talk at the same time, and the result was a garbled mess. Finally, she was able to settle down and tell the two boys her news.

"I got the four of us FREE tickets to Six Flags! Tomorrow we're leaving bright and early and we're going to have an awesome day!" Trish said, nearly bursting. Austin stifled a groan, he'd already been to Six Flags like a million times, and this didn't sound fun.

Trish looked at Austin and Dez, waiting for them to burst with excitement. When she was greeted with uneasy smiles she shot both boys the snake eyes and told them that they were going even if she had to drag them by the ears. That confirmed Austin's fears; this was not going to be a fun trip.

"Can't we have a fun sleeping day? You three could come over to my house, and we'll just have a big sleepover!" Dez tried, but his suggestion was instantly shot down. It was her way or the highway, and sadly Austin would rather take the highway.

He thought about all the things that he'd rather do tomorrow, and there was a long list like sleeping and not going to the amusement park. He still couldn't get why Trish wanted to go so badly since they've all been to the park with each other many times. _Free _did not always mean 'good'.

* * *

Austin had no idea that tomorrow was about to get even worse for him. At that moment, Ally was visiting her great aunt Fran and was having the time of her life. The elderly were Ally's type of people. All they did was sit around and drink tea.

Ally adored her aunt Fran. She was a very old lady, probably getting close to ninety and was extremely prim and proper. She was tall and skinny, with a prominent bird like nose, and hair that turned gray many years ago. However, she was incredibly kind and had nothing but compliments for Ally every time she visited.

That's exactly why Ally loved to visit. Auntie Fran would make her feel like the princess of the nursing home. Admittedly, that wasn't such a distinct honor but it made Ally feel good anyway. Every other old person loved Ally too; she was polite and spoke loudly, which is always a plus.

For those reasons, Ally blew off Trish, Austin, and Dez. Usually the four musketeers would always be in food court together, but Aunt Fran took precedence over Trish's silly plans. Besides, it was tea time and Ally didn't want her Earl Grey and biscotti to get cold. She liked her tea with lots of sugar and the biscotti's had to be vanilla.

"Oh Ally dear, you're just as pretty as your grandmother was. Can you spin around for me?" Aunt Fran asked. Aunt Fran was extremely sentimental about her younger years, and always wanted to see Ally be young. She was Ally's grandma's sister and the two loved each other very much.

Ally smiled, got up and spun around for Aunt Fran. This was a usual request so Ally always took to wearing her prettiest dresses whenever visiting. Today was a light blue mini dress that when twirling made her seem to float. Aunt Fran squealed in delight, forgetting for a moment that she wasn't a little girl anymore.

That laugh was another reason why Ally always wanted to visit Aunt Fran. It was the same laugh as her grandmother. Ally remembered being a little girl and doing something funny in front of her grandmother and the same laugh would escape from her lips. The laugh that was more like a squeal and a breath squeezed in to one, it was unique.

When Ally's grandmother died it was almost like a train ran her over. She remembered not being able to breathe when she heard the news, and eventually the choking sobs came. She holed herself in her room for days and refused to come out, the pain was too great. Finally she had to be a big girl and come back to the world, but she never really got over her grandmother and still thought of her sometimes.

For a moment both Ally and Aunt Fran were lost in their memories. It was with some time that they finally came back to the present and smiled at each other. Aunt Fran reminded Ally so much of her grandmother it almost hurt. But she felt good knowing that she still had her grandma's sister.

"I miss my youth Ally. I really do. I miss being fifteen and seeing cute boys. I remember your grandmother and I were terrible flirts, but we both ended up happy in the end," Aunt Fran breathed, again going back to her memories.

Ally sighed and hugged her aunt; this happened often and usually a hug would make Aunt Fran come back to the present. But that didn't work this time and Aunt Fran broke down in to silent sobs, Ally was horrified.

What could she do for her poor aunt? It's not like she could build a time machine and bring her back. Aunt Fran missed her youth, and that was something that a lot of older people missed. Ally couldn't stand seeing her aunt like this and tried to think of ways to help her. A crazy idea popped in to her head, a really crazy idea.

"It's alright Auntie Fran. I have a really great friend, and he's a singer. I'm going to have him come and sing for you and your friends tomorrow. It'll be like the old days," Ally knew she was in trouble once the words escaped her mouth.

She cursed herself; Austin would never, ever agree to perform at a nursing home. Talk about damaging his mojo. Ally cursed herself, she always made these statements and then wouldn't be able to follow through with it. She was horrified when Aunt Fran instantly brightened at the idea, her old happiness coming back in to the wizened face.

"Oh Ally! I love it! I haven't watched a live performance in so many years and I'm sure any friend of yours must be precious! I'll tell all my friends, they'll be so excited," Aunt Fran gushed. Ally had never seen her aunt this excited before, and silently prayed Austin would agree with no problems.

Aunt Fran continued to talk about how excited she was until a nurse came in and told Ally that Fran needed to go for lunch. After saying good bye to her aunt, Ally quickly left, occasionally stopping to say hi to the other seniors.

Frank offered her some hard candies (she gladly accepted), while Marion and Ellen all asked Ally if she'd be coming to visit them soon (she gladly accepted that also). More old people wanted to feed her, saying she was too skinny. After what felt like an hour, Ally was finally out the door and ran off to the mall to find Austin, he wasn't answering his cell so she assumed he was doing something stupid at the mall.

She was wrong. Instead of Austin and Dez causing trouble, they were being lectured by Trish on the plans for tomorrow. Crap, she never heard about any plans for tomorrow. She needed Austin tomorrow, the amusement park could wait, it wasn't like the park was mobile and only around once a year every ten years.

"Austin please, please, please come and perform at the nursing home tomorrow. I promised my great aunt and I totally forgot about asking you," Ally pleaded but the look in Austin's face wasn't good.

Austin felt silly, now he had to pick whether to go to a nursing home and perform for people that were quadruple his age, or go to an amusement park. He'd go for the amusement park any day.

"Do you know how embarrassing that is Ally? I am a _huge_ media star and I can not be expected to perform for a bunch of old people that don't know what the word 'pop' mean," Austin said, not cruelly but almost to that point.

Ally couldn't believe it, one of the best friends she ever had, and he refused to help her make an old lady feel young again. She tried to explain about Aunt Fran's wish but Austin wouldn't budge and neither would Dez or Trish.

She thought of Aunt Fran who was so excited that Ally would bring in a real music act for her. Ally was letting down her aunt down, and that felt like letting her grandmother down too. She felt the hot tears drip down her face and felt stupid. She was stronger than that, Aunt Fran would understand.

But Ally was angry and hurt at Austin, at Dez, and Trish. She didn't think she asked for much but helping her great aunt was out of line? All for a bunch of tickets that she could tell Austin didn't care about anyway. It hurt, and after a moment of tears still dripping down her face she couldn't stand facing them anymore and ran off.

"Ally wait! I'm really sorry; I didn't realize how much this means to you. I'll perform for your aunt!" he yelled and tried to get her to stop running. But she wouldn't stop, and ran even faster when she realized he was following her.

Why was he chasing her? It wasn't fair, she didn't want him to be forced in to performing for Aunt Fran, if he didn't care that was fine, she'll put on her own show. Not knowing where she was going, Ally eventually found herself at Sonic Boom and luckily it was closed that day. She didn't want any customers to see her like this.

She sat down on the cashier's chair and cried. She cried because she had failed Aunt Fran, but she also cried again for her grandmother, the one person who really understood her. Ally loved her friend but she knew that nobody would ever get her like her grandmother did. She missed her grandma.

Every time she tried to be strong and pull herself together, she'd remember how her grandmother used to hold her when she cried and the tears would fall anew. It was hard to be strong when she felt so weak. There was a jangling at the doors; Austin.

He grabbed her close, and started to rock her in his arms, like a giant baby. She felt like a fool but his arms were oddly comforting and she eventually settled down. She put her head on his shoulders and shed the last of her tears.


	2. Chapter 2

Ally felt like a complete idiot sitting on the floor and crying her eyes out. It didn't matter what Austin said, nobody was going to bring back her grandmother and it was stupid to think that having a concert could make anyone feel better. She was stupid and Austin probably thought she was too.

"I'm so sorry Austin; this was just some stupid idea that I had. I just wanted to make my aunt feel better," Ally blubbered. She was sick of crying and finally started to choke out the story of her grandmother and wanting Aunt Fran to be young again, if only for an hour. Austin listened to her attentively, not making any noises, and for once being completely silent.

What Ally saw after her story shocked her; Austin Moon was crying. Never in a million years did Ally think that she'd see Mr. Macho Tough Guy crying. For a moment she didn't know what to do, and awkwardly patted his back. She was even more shocked when Austin pulled her in to a huge bear hug and continued crying.

"I'm sorry Ally; I probably look like a big idiot. It's just your relationship with your grandma was the same with my grandpa and it was hard for me to hear it," Austin said, nearly choking on his tears. The words tumbled from his mouth in short gasps as Austin told her of his own pain.

Ally listened as Austin told her about his grandfather; Austin's grandpa had been his best friend. The one person that Austin could go to whenever he was feeling down and in trouble. He remembered being eight years old and falling out of a tree. He wasn't seriously injured but he was terrified of trees then on. That was until his grandfather had told him some sage words; "You can only get better if you continued climbing."

His words were correct and everyday Austin practiced climbing until he was finally able to reach the top of any tree. When Austin was starting guitar he'd grow frustrated and quit, but that would never pass with his grandpa; "Austin you can do whatever you dream of, but you can't give up just because of one sour note."

Those words were what made Austin what he was today. Without his grandpa he would never have met Ally, he'd never be such a musical sensation and his life would be plain, boring. Austin tried to imagine a life without Ally, but a life without Ally and his music was a life he didn't want to live in. But of course, he would never admit that to her, it'd be too awkward.

That day when Austin had heard about his grandfather's death was one of the worst that he'd ever experienced. He remembered it clearly though; he was ten and his parents called him in to their room, they had something to tell him. Austin didn't take the news well. He remembered screaming at his parents, calling them liars and saying how much he hated them. He broke down in tears, and his parents had to physically restrain him in to bed.

His grandfather's death felt like someone was choking him. He didn't want to go to the funeral. It was stupid looking back, but he was angry at his grandfather. Austin was angry that his grandfather left him. He grudgingly went to the funeral but didn't cry; he sat there and stared at everyone else who did.

That decision haunted him to this day, and that was why he finally broke down now. He felt guilty for saying no to Ally, even though she sacrificed so much time for him. He felt guilty for not crying at his grandfather's funeral. But even down, he felt even guiltier that he still didn't want to go to the retirement home. What if another older man reminded him of his grandfather and he started to break down again?

Ally listened to Austin and felt guilty herself. She had never known that Austin was feeling this. She felt like such a bad friend, as if she had been letting Austin down. The thought made her tear up as well, and soon enough they were both in each other's arms weeping, both lost in each other's thoughts, neither of them wanting to go back to the present.

Eventually they both had to go back to the present and jerked away from each other, embarrassed at the physical contact, and muttering apologies. She knew that it felt good for the two to finally get their feelings out of their chests. Austin dabbed at his eyes, obviously ashamed that he had been crying.

"Just so you know Austin, girls like a guy who's sensitive," Ally said, smiling. It's true; she liked guys who were sensitive. Austin brightened and instantly pretending to break in to tears again. Ally smacked him on the shoulder; the loser was obviously trying to be cute. But _that _wasn't going to work on her. If Austin didn't know that Ally wasn't a regular girl then he was missing out.

Austin got up and tried to help Ally up, the key word was tried. Ally's legs felt a little wobbly so she had Austin pull her up. That was fine until he used so much force that he fell and she was pulled down with him. The two were one top of each other, their lips a centimeter apart. They were horrified.

It was even worse because that moment both Dez and Trish walked in to the store. Their argument instantly died when they saw Austin and Ally wrapped in each other's arms. Sadly, Dez was holding an ice cream cone which fell out of his hands, on to the floor.

"No! No! It's not what it looks like, I swear! I fell!" Ally tried to explain. She was exasperated to see that Trish didn't believe a word she said. It's not like she'd ever want to date Austin. Sure he was a little cute, a good friend, and sensitive. But that was it.

"Suuuuuuuuure Ally, if you and Austin wanted to be alone you should have just told us," Trish smirked. She was so infuriating sometimes, if Trish would just listen to the facts she'd realize this was completely a misunderstanding and completely harmless.

She looked at Austin for support but found that he was blushing and trying not to avoid her eye. Geez, what was his problem? Ally didn't realize that Austin thought she too was a good friend, a little cute, and liked that she was sensitive. But like Ally, he didn't have a crush on her or anything, _totally _just friends and that's all he wanted.

Eventually Ally gave up and let Trish say how they cute they were and that she was going to be the flower girl, maid of honor, and planner of their wedding. Ally just stood there awkwardly, whatever floats her boat.

But things turned sour when Ally said that Austin was going to do the performance tomorrow. Trish couldn't believe the two would rather go to a stinky retirement home instead of going to Six Flags. Ally sighed, Trish was her best friend but she could be so stubborn when she wanted to do something, and that was frustrating.

"You're really going to perform at a retirement home instead of coming with us Austin? I'll buy you cheese fries!" Trish said. Austin was intrigued but knew that helping out Ally was more important than getting delicious fries covered in cheese.

Trish couldn't believe it when Austin said no, and instantly left in a hurry, stating official manager business. Ally was curious what this "manager business" was but didn't mind when both Trish and Dez left. She was surprised that Dez left with Trish; usually he'd stay and hang out with Austin. Maybe he could tell that Austin wasn't really in the mood to goof around.

That left her and Austin, and things were feeling pretty awkward. Ally was shocked when Austin cleaned up the melting ice cream, and apologized on behalf of Dez. Usually he'd just lick the melted ice cream off of the floor.

"Thanks for not telling them about our conversation. I'd rather deal with an angry Trish than people thinking I'm a weenie," Austin said sheepish. Ally said that it was no problem, but thought that it didn't matter what other people thought, she thought he was being strong.

Ally wondered whether she should write a new song for the elderly since Austin was with her now. What kind of music did old people like? She assumed that the average age in the retirement home was eighty something. Basically, she knew that nobody would want to listen to a song about partying at the beach. Or maybe the old people of today had changed and they secretly did. Ally doubted it.

She thought of some love songs and instantly an idea popped in to her head. It was kind of awkward though, and she wasn't really sure how to phrase it, especially after what had just happened.

"Hey Austin, I was just thinking that you should do an old love song. I was kind of thinking that it could be a duet, you know because it is for my aunt," Ally said sheepishly. Great, Austin probably thought that she was some creeper who wanted to date him. That was the complete opposite of what she wanted, she just wanted to make sure that the elderly could appreciate their music.

Luckily, Austin was really happy about the suggestion. He said that it was a great idea to do a duet together, and that it would mean a lot more to her great aunt if she was singing too. He also agreed that a love song would be good too, old people loved those things. But for a crazy second thought that she saw Austin blush and avoid her eye. She was going crazy.

Ally thanked Austin and shook his hand. Really, she shook his hand? That was such a weird, impersonal thing to do. But Austin didn't seem to mind and said that he'd be ready tomorrow for twelve o' clock. When Ally left she felt oddly alone, but she didn't know why. She was probably just upset from her time listening to Austin's story.

Ally looked down at the floor; Austin hadn't done a grade A job with cleaning the ice cream. She guessed that it's the thought that counts when she got some cold water and started to scrub the sticky mess. But something caught her eye; Austin's wallet.

It must have fallen out of his pocket when they had their mishap and he didn't realize it was gone. Ally sighed and picked it up, but grabbed it wrong and the wallet opened up. She didn't want to look inside but her curiosity eventually won out.

The inside of the wallet had a picture of an older man. He was kind looking and had smile lines around his eyes and mouth. He was holding a young blond child, and Ally knew at once that this was Austin's grandfather. The pair looked increadibly happy and Ally felt bad, she was a stranger looking through something so personal of Austin's. She'd want to keep a picture of her and her grandmother to herself, maybe that was kind of greedy of her.

Knowing that she shouldn't, Ally couldn't help herself from turning over to the next picture, and the wallet dropped out of her hands in shock. Instead of finding a picture of Austin's family or of his friends, Ally saw that it was a picture of _her. _


	3. Chapter 3

Should she be embarrassed? Or pleased? Ally wasn't sure as she stared down at the picture of herself in Austin's wallet. It was obviously a recent picture, and looked like a professional had taken it. Had she ever given Austin a professionally done picture of herself? Ally didn't even remember having this done… weird.

Ally quickly shoved the picture back in Austin's wallet and put it on the cash register. He'd probably be back in ten minutes to get it. When he got here, she was going to act as though she hadn't looked at anything. That's what made Ally nervous, she wasn't a very good liar.

Five minutes went by, which turned to ten, twenty, and then thirty. Finally, Ally took the wallet and shoved it in her purse. It was getting late and she needed to be well rested for the performance tomorrow. She quickly closed up the shop and started to walk home.

She was surprised; it was a chilly night. Shivering, Ally walked as quickly as possible. Luckily, nobody else was on the street which gave her a lot of time to think about the day she had just had. Too call it "crazy" was definitely not enough to describe it.

What did her photo in the wallet mean? Ally had searched the wallet through and through but only had found two photos; her and Austin's grandpa. Certainly he didn't have the picture because he liked her. That was absurd; she was just friends with Austin. He'd made it clear that he wanted to be friends.

Ally thought about calling Trish and asking her what she thought about it. Thought about it was the key word, Trish didn't seem as though she was in the mood to talk about Ally's confusion. She thought about Dez and instantly knew that was a stupid idea; he'd never tell. Sure she could trick him but that didn't seem right this time.

In the end Ally decided that Austin had the picture because he thought she was nice. Obviously whenever Austin was having a bad day he'd take out the picture and look at her and his grandfather. It was actually kind of sweet.

Ally was so deep in thought that she walked right past her house, and had to walk back half a block. She walked inside and saw that the house was dark; dad had left her a note saying he went out for a free all you can eat buffet. She grinned; typical dad but at least she got the house to herself.

Still smiling, Ally walked up to her room and put on her pajamas. She checked her phone, expecting a call from Austin, but there were no new messages. That confused her, maybe he didn't realize that the wallet was missing? Ally shrugged and got under the covers, it was already nine o' clock, and she needed to be up for eight.

It didn't take long for Ally to fall asleep; she was so excited about the performance tomorrow and couldn't wait to see Auntie Fran's happy face. Deep down Ally was also really happy that she got to spend some time with Austin, but that was a secret. She grinned, because at the very moment she fell asleep a memory of her and Austin flashed in her mind.

Ally woke up, checked the alarm clock and nearly fell out of her bed in horror; it was ten in the morning. How had she overslept? The last time she ever overslept was in the fifth grade, and it was a horrifying experience. She was late to school, and missed a whole class.

She jumped out of bed and was even more horrified to see her cell phone vibrating on the nightstand; it was a text from Austin. She quickly snatched her phone and greedily read the message. What she read was terrifying; Austin was _here _andready to walk her to the retirement home.

Horrified, she quickly texted Austin to come in and said that she'd be ready in twenty or so minutes. She cursed herself; it wasn't like her to be late for anything, especially something that was this important. No doubt Austin was down there talking to her dad and joking about how she had overslept.

Quickly Ally took a shower and dressed, seemingly at the speed of light. She threw on the first dress she could find; a red and white rose one. Later she remembered that this was Auntie Fran's old dress. Ally quickly grabbed Austin's wallet and walked downstairs.

She instantly found her father and Austin sitting around the kitchen table. Both men had been talking but stopped instantly when she walked in to the room. Ally looked at them both curiously; was there something that they couldn't share with her?

Deciding it didn't really matter, Ally held out the wallet and told Austin that he should pay more attention to his back pocket. She only just realized that it was a stupid thing to say, but Austin didn't seem to mind. He enthusiastically thanked her and said he'd been looking for it. Ally mentioned that she didn't look in it, but he didn't seem to sure.

"Sorry I didn't tell you I'd come to get you Ally, I just figured that you'd be up by now," Austin apologized. He seemed truly apologetic that he caught her at a bad time. Ally told him that she didn't care, and said something like "the early bird catches the worm."

That was another really dumb thing to say, but why did she feel so nervous? It couldn't be because of Austin, she had been with enough times to not be nervous. In the end she decided that it was because of the performance.

Austin and Ally had already left the house at that point and it was at that moment she remembered her stage fright. She had to sit down for a moment, and mentally battle herself. For a day or so she had forgotten about the stage fright and everything seemed fine, now it paralyzed her.

Ally felt like such an idiot, how was she supposed to sing with Austin when she knew that she couldn't? Thank goodness she didn't tell Aunt Fran that she'd be singing too; otherwise she would have been a complete train wreck. Austin was concerned and instantly asked Ally if she was alright, she couldn't help but tell him the truth, even though she knew that she probably sounded like a big baby.

"I can't do it Austin, there's going to be like a lot of old people there watching me. I just can't do it, I'm so sorry," Ally tried to apologize but Austin wasn't having any of her apologizes. Instead, he shocked her by grabbing her hands, pulling her up and continued walking towards the retirement home.

"You're talking with fear right now Ally and you know it. Imagine what Aunt Fran would say if she saw you right now! I'll be there, and if you get nervous just look at me or your aunt. Just imagine me in my underwear, they're duckies today!" Austin said excitedly, and Ally couldn't help herself from laughing at him. Ally stared in to Austin's eyes and knew that she wasn't going to be nervous on stage anymore.

The pair walked on, occasionally Austin would ask questions about her aunt and Ally would ask him about his grandfather. Austin's grandpa had been in the army for a couple of years. Aunt Fran was a doctor before she had to give up practice from old age.

Austin and Ally talked to each other like they never have before. Everything was so open, and they for once really felt comfortable together. Trish and Dez weren't there to cause mayhem, and Ally finally saw that Austin could be low key and not hyper crazy all the time.

"This better be a fun time Ally, or I'm never going to talk to you again," Austin said. Ally stared at him, shocked until she realized that he was kidding. She smirked and punched him on the arm again, enjoying his fake screams of agony; he could be cute when he wanted.

Ally felt it was too soon but soon they were at the retirement home and checking in with the head nurse. She was short lady, who looked as though she could have been in the retirement home herself. She gave Austin and Ally a look and burst in to a smile.

"All the seniors are ecstatic to have you two put on your little performance today! I just ask that you don't over stimulate them, that wouldn't be fun," the nurse; Betsy, smiled and instantly let them go up to Aunt Fran's room.

Austin took to staring in to every room and at everyone. Occasionally an elderly person would stop him and say hi, and Mrs. van Skipper even came over and pinched him on the cheeks. Austin was obviously taken aback but still smiled as Mrs. van Skipper told him he was much too skinny and he needed to gain weight.

Finally getting away from Mrs. van Skipper, Austin and Ally made their way to Aunt Fran's room and were instantly attacked by tight hugs. Aunt Fran said that she had been up and waiting for the last three hours and said that the nursing home has never been this excited.

"I told old Reggie and that old gossip let the whole nursing home know. You're going to have a full house this afternoon young man!" Aunt Fran said, nearly bursting with excitement. Ally smiled, she hadn't seen Aunt Fran this excited in ages.

The older lady continued to babble on about how the retirement had even set up a little stage for Austin in the cafeteria. She told Austin that one of the helpers was around his age and _cute_. Ally grimaced, and then wondered why she was annoyed by that, she was probably cuter than the helper girl.

Ally was shocked too when she saw that Austin's ears were pretty red as he blushed. Apparently he already had a girl who he liked and Aunt Fran's suggestion was embarrassing. Ally vaguely wondered who it was; she was probably a pretty blond.

"You know young man, you remind me of my old husband. Oh he was such a great man, always made me feel like a princess. I'm sure you'll treat my grand niece right," Aunt Fran smiled. Ally nearly burst with embarrassment this time and instantly told Auntie Fran that they weren't dating. Hadn't she just said that Austin would like the helper girl?

Ally was even more embarrassed when she saw that Austin looked disappointed. But that only lasted a second before he started to laugh at her and Aunt Fran. Ally scowled again, and stared at Austin. Was he trying to play at something or was she just crazy?

Before she had any more time to think about that, a nurse came in and told the three that it was time for lunch. She looked at Austin and Ally and beamed, saying that the stage had been set up and that once lunch was served Austin could start whenever he wanted.

And at that moment she remembered that she hadn't told Aunt Fran that she was performing too. She wasn't sure how to tell her, or even if her aunt would believe her. Ally hadn't performed in years, and the thought of her doing it now was ludicrous. Not knowing what to say, Ally finally spit something out, "Aunt Fran… Austin and I thought it would be more special if we sang a duet for you."

The old lady looked at Austin, and then she looked at Ally and cried. But these weren't sad tears, they were tears of joy. Ally was taken aback by her aunt's tears and was about to say something before she beat her too it.

"Honey, I've been waiting for ten years to hear you sing again. You'll never know how proud I am of the _two _of you. You've made this woman happy again."

* * *

**Author's Note- I can't wait to share the song Austin and Ally will sing. _Hint: Any British readers remember Lulu? _**


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note- I'd like to give credit to Lulu, her song "Boom Bang a Bang" is one of my favorites and I thought it worked well with this story. Look up Lulu if you want to, and I'll post a link on my profile. This is the last chapter and I want to say thanks to all my readers! :)**

* * *

Ally couldn't believe it; after ten years of not being able to perform live she was finally going to perform in front of a group of people. She thought about her Aunt Fran and how excited she was and knew that she needed to perform for her. Plus, she had Austin who'd do anything to help her through her stage fright.

The nurses were correct; the cafeteria had been transformed in to a mini concert venue. Balloons and streamers were hanging everywhere and the tables had been topped with party hats. It almost looked as though someone was having a birthday party.

Hanging off the ceiling was a banner that said "Welcome Austin Moon!" Aunt Fran saw the banner and was instantly not happy. Clutching at one of the strings, she was finally able to pull it down and hastily pulled out a pen and wrote "Welcome Austin Moon and Ally Dawson!"

Ally couldn't help herself but laugh, Aunt Fran always wanted to keep things fair. Aunt Fran sat down and started to clap prematurely but was greeted by odd looks by the other seniors. She glared at them all, and reluctantly they started to clap too. Ally was shocked, she thought the only thing that made those seniors clap was food.

That was when another tragedy struck; Ally never picked out a song. Between her being late this morning and talking with Austin yesterday, the thought of actually singing a song never crossed her mind. She glanced at Austin; he was obviously waiting to hear what her song choice was. But finally came over after she made frantic hand motions.

"I don't have a song picked out! I totally forgot Austin, I don't know what to do," Ally said. She was so panicked that she forgot that she already knew about a million old time love songs. Austin nodded and looked towards the crowd.

"Excuse me seniors and what not, as an extra present Ally and I have decided to sing a song of your choice. Please recommend a song," Austin said and looked expectantly at the crowd. Austin was horrified when none of the seniors gave them a song to sing.

That was until a little old British lady played around with her_ iPhone_ and screamed that she had the perfect song for them. Ally couldn't believe it… an old lady had an iPhone. But her shock turned to love when she found a cute little song by a British singer named Lulu. It was called "Boom Bang a Bang".

Ally was intrigued by the title and was instantly shocked when the music started playing. She wasn't ready yet! Besides she didn't know the lyrics and neither did Austin. That was until the nurses brought out a TV and the words were on it. The retirement home had karaoke?

Instantly the music started and the lights dimmed. "_Come closer, come closer and listen  
The beat of my heart keeps on missin'." _The song started so abruptly that she missed the first notes, she felt so embarrassed.

But, Ally looked up and saw that Austin was smiling at her. Feeling a little bit better Ally looked up at the lyrics again and started to sing along, "_My heart goes Boom bang-a-bang, boom bang-a-bang, when you are near." _Ally couldn't help herself from smiling, which was exactly how she felt about Austin.

"_It's such a lovely feeling, when I'm in your arms_," Ally smiled. Before she knew what she was doing, she ran over to Austin and wrapped her arms around Austin. He looked at her in shock but wrapped his arms around her too. This caused a bunch of "Awws" from all the seniors.

"_Your smile is so warm and inviting; the thought of your kiss is exciting. So hold me and don't keep me waiting_."

And before Ally even knew what happened, Austin had kissed her… on the lips. Ally was so shocked that she nearly dropped her microphone. Austin Moon had kissed her, on the lips. What happened next shocked her even more; she kissed him back.

The two friends stood there and in that very moment she realized that they weren't friends anymore; they were more than friends. She was in more shocked to realize that she _liked_ kissing Austin. He actually liked her.

"_My heart goes, Boom bang-a-bang, boom bang-a-bang when you are near._" It was lucky for Ally that Austin remembered that he needed to be singing; she was still in total shock. It made sense; the picture of her was in his wallet because he liked her. She was as important to him as his grandfather was, and she had never realized it.

Ally realized that the end of the song coming up, and looked out at the crowd. Ally saw Aunt Fran; she was standing there beaming at her grand niece. She smiled and finally remembered that she needed to finish the song, and at the best time too; the ending.

"_It's such a lovely feeling when I'm in your arms. Now you are near, I wanna hear your heartbeat too. Boom bang-a-bang-bang, Boom bang-a-bang-bang, Boom bang-a-bang-bang. I love you!"_

Austin and Ally finished with another kiss, ending on a "bang". They stared at each other and smiled again, the senior citizens were erupting in to cheers around them. Austin and Ally held hands and did a little bow for the senior citizens.

There was more applause and Ally's eyes instantly found Aunt Fran; she beaming brightly and even tearing up again. Austin kissed her again, and she almost melted again. She'd never been this happy before; Aunt Fran was happy, and she had finally realized that she liked Austin. Yesterday seemed to melt away as she stood there and deep down she knew that her grandmother would have been proud.

Ally looked up again, Auntie Fran was still smiling and beaming, but something seemed wrong. She was tired, and at that very moment Ally watched in horror as her aunt collapsed. She screamed as Auntie Fran hit the floor, hard. She couldn't think as she ran over to her aunt.

"Auntie Fran! Aunt Francine? Oh God, please, please wake up!" She screamed and Auntie Fran opened her eyes a little bit and smiled and started to whisper.

"I have never been so proud of you Ally. Your grandmother would be so proud of you too. I love you Ally, and so does that boy over there, never forget that," Auntie Fran whispered as she smiled again. Auntie Fran closed her eyes, and uttered her last breath as Ally took her aunt in her arms and wept.

She felt a hand on her shoulder; it was Austin. He put his arms around her and let her cry on his shoulder. He kissed her hair and dried her tears, but the pain of her aunt's death would always be there.

* * *

The younger Francine entered the maternity wing and beamed with joy; her niece (her sister's daughter) had just given birth to a healthy baby girl. She beamed with pride and knew that this young girl would be special.

And that's exactly what she felt when she held the baby girl in her arms. She was as cute as gum drop button. Francine looked at the baby and smiled; she knew that this would be her favorite niece. She looked at the baby again and spoke, "Alexandra Dawson".

_In memory of Mrs. Francine Dawson, the beloved great aunt of Ally Dawson. She will be missed, and always loved. July 29th, 1922- September 3rd, 2012. _

**_Finished_**


	5. Chapter 5

**I know I said that last chapter was the last, but I felt led to write this one so I hope you like it! Also, encase you've read "Ally Moon", I haven't forgotten about it but school has been crazy. I'll update soon.**

* * *

Ally Dawson was still more than upset about Auntie Fran's passing. She'd visit her grave site every month or so and it gave her comfort that even though Auntie Fran wasn't with her on Earth, she'll be waiting for her in Heaven.

Ally was lucky to have an awesome boyfriend like Austin, and equally awesome friends like Trish and Dez. They'd always been there for her, and she knew that she could trust them no matter what.

But what made Ally even happier was that from that day back in September on she's been able to perform on stage without her massive stage fright. It's as if Auntie Fran was holding her hand every time that she's been on stage. It also helped that Austin was next to her doing all the dance moves.

Ally came to realize that her boyfriend really was awesome. Although she already knew that he was at least once every week Austin and Ally would go to a senior center and perform for a "sold out" audience.

Senior centers and retirement homes weren't exactly Austin's target audience but from that day on he never complained about going to them, and honestly seemed to enjoy it. The old folks would rave about his performances and give him hard candies. Austin always had a thing for sweets and praise.

These visits to the elderly really warmed Ally's heart too. There were many performances when she momentarily lost confidence and her voice wavered. But, the audience would clap and smile anyway encouraging her to go on. It made Ally proud to know that she was doing something fun for them.

Ally still remembered one particularly bad case of stage fright. As usual it was a bright and sunny day. Austin and Ally had booked a show at the local senior center, and both were really pumped to perform.

The senior center was plush and the workers were all extremely friendly. Ally was feeling confident until she suddenly remembered that this was the senior center that Auntie Fran would frequent.

Ally felt silly about it now, but at that time her memories were still fresh and the sadness of her aunt's death overwhelmed her again. Sure there were many smiling faces, but Auntie Fran's face wasn't there. It was all she could do to choke out her fear and sadness to Austin.

"Oh Ally, when my grandpa died I couldn't even go near any older man. Even though they looked totally different, any senior citizen reminded me of my grandpa. But, I realized that holding back wasn't what my grandpa wanted," Austin smiled and gave her a quick hug. Some of the older ladies looked scandalized at the public display of affection.

Ally sighed as she realized that Austin was correct. Auntie Fran would want her to be out performing and having a ball in front of all her friends. So, Ally sighed and both Austin and Ally jumped on stage. Their song choice was an older ballad that was a hit at every place they visited.

Austin of course needed to add some epic high notes and generally made the performance go by much faster than Ally ever thought it could. The seniors were having fun and most were clapping along and singing. The positive reaction invigorated Ally, and she was finally able to get in to the performance by jumping along with Austin.

Finally, the performance ended, and Ally was out of breath. Some older ladies had Austin in a circle calling him a nice young man. Ally knew that he'd be busy for the next ten or so minutes so she took a seat next to a nice looking older woman.

She was extremely short and had some wispy gray hair. Her gray sweater was covered in cat hair but her over all demeanor was extremely pleasant. She didn't seem like the type of woman that would enjoy talking, and that's why she was so shocked when the older woman spoke to her.

"I'm not sure if Francine ever told you this sweetie, but we were the best of friends. I was there on her final day, and I've no doubt in my mind that she was the happiest she'd ever been. I guess what I'm trying to say is that it's alright to weep but I want you to realize that you were her pride and joy and you made her so happy," the older woman said as a tear streamed off her cheek.

Shocked, Ally ran over to the older woman and hugged her. Surprised, Ally realized that they were both weeping but the strength from the two women held them together. It was at that moment that Ally realized that someone may be gone but they'd always be in your heart. She smiled as Austin came over and held her hand.


End file.
